First Steamboat on the Clyde

Burrell Collection Photo Library

The First Steamboat on the Clyde painted c 1820 by John Knox (1778-1845).

This oil painting depicts a scene from 1812 when Henry Bell's steamboat Comet made her maiden voyage. Knox shows a classic view of the Clyde estuary from Dalnottar Hill, looking towards Dumbarton Rock, with the tiny Comet steaming up the Clyde. Early experiments with steamboats such as the Charlotte Dundas and the Comet stimulated the development of the world's greatest shipyards on the river.

The mast in the foreground belongs to a half-hidden ship making its way along the Forth and Clyde Canal to Bowling.

Reference: 2342

Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums